- Tip 1: Spoiled for choice when it comes to materials
- Tip 2: Bigger is better?
- Tip 3: Layer by layer
- Tip 4: Snail Scare and Mice Minimization
- Tip 5: Built-in Heater
- Tip 6: Water on!
- Tip 7: Raised or cold frame?
- Tip 8: The right plants
- Tip 9: Reclassify as you age
- Tip 10: Winter Protection
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Goodbye back pain! We'll show you ten tips for a perfect raised bed that's not just good for your back.
Raised beds are probably one of the biggest garden trends at the moment. No wonder, after all, the mini gardens are easy on the back and knees. Gone are the days when you had to laboriously bend down or crawl through the bed - in a raised bed, unpopular tasks such as weeding can be done much more quickly. And not only that: Raised beds also look good and make the vegetable garden a real eye-catcher. With these ten tips we will show you how to build and plant your own perfect raised bed.
Tip: The raised bed is not the only thing that makes life easier for you: the faster heating of the ground on the mezzanine floor means that plants grow much faster earlier. Therefore, a higher yield can often be achieved in raised beds.
Tip 1: Spoiled for choice when it comes to materials
The raised bed made of wood remains the most popular, because it not only looks beautiful, but is also much faster to set up, dismantle or convert than many other variants. However, wood rots very quickly in moisture and becomes rotten. Therefore, you should pay attention to the choice of the right wood when buying. Durable woods such as ash, beech, oak and larch are significantly more weather-resistant. In addition, lining with a knobbed foil, as is also used for underground building protection, is an important measure that extends the durability of the wooden raised bed. From the outside, the glaze or oiling of the wood is a good idea. This is especially true if cheaper, less weather-resistant timber such as spruce was used.
But other building materials also have their charm: concrete can be poured very precisely and in different shapes, and it is also particularly weather-resistant. Raised beds made of natural stone have a rustic appearance. Raised beds made of metal are also becoming more and more popular: over time they develop unique colors due to the weather and can be extremely durable.
Tip: Concrete and stone need it thoughlonger to warm up in spring, which keeps the raised bed cold longer. In autumn and on cool summer days, however, they ensure that the bed is kept evenly warm. This in turn promotes vegetable growth.
Metal raised beds, on the other hand, warm up quickly in spring, but cannot store the heat for long either on cool nights or in autumn - not good conditions for vegetable growth. Raised beds made of wood offer a very good balance of insulation on the one hand and rapid heating on the other.
Tip 2: Bigger is better?
Size is a crucial factor when planning a raised bed. The decisive factors are above all the space available and your own body size. Tall people prefer their bed a little higher, those who garden with children will tend to build lower. However, the following values can be regarded as rough guidelines: The height of the raised bed should be about your hips (70 to 100 cm for adults) so that you can really work without straining your back. The width of the bed should be about the length of your arm so that you can work up to the rearmost plant without any problems (140 - 160 cm). When it comes to length, however, there are no limits. Your taste alone decides here.
But there are also plant cultivation aspects that can play a role in the dimensions of the raised bed: A narrow raised bed with the long side facing south warms up quickly in spring and thus makes particularly early harvests possible.
Tip 3: Layer by layer
The foundations are in place, now it's time for the right filling. But wait: you shouldn’t pour anything into a raised bed haphazardly. In order to enjoy the bed for a long time, you should create different raised bed layers:
- At the bottom of the raised bed is a fine rabbit wire that prevents hungry voles from entering.
- A layer of mineral drainage material such as field stones or rubble can be placed on top of this - but this layer is not a must.
- This is followed by a layer of rough branches, twigs, rootstock and other woody garden waste. They also ensure good water drainage and decompose over the years into high-quality humus.
- On this layer, fine plant material such as grass clippings, leaves, sections of perennials, lawn sod or seed weeds is placed. The layer is so deep in the bed thatSeeds that will no longer germinate.
- This unrotted material is now mature compost or potting soil made from quality compost such as our Plantura organic compost soil and distributed. It contains all the nutrients essential for plants in an organically bound form and makes them available to the raised bed plants over a long period of time. As a peat-free soil, our compost also emits 30% less CO2 over its life cycle than peat substrates.
- The top layer as a base layer for the plants should be nutrient-rich, pre-fertilized soil. Here, a light soil is suitable for many types of vegetables, which does not collapse so quickly and warms up well with the sun in spring. Our peat-free Plantura organic tomato & vegetable soil with coconut pulp, wood fibers and compost is fluffy and particularly rich in potassium to protect your plants from fungal diseases.
All raised bed layers at a glance:
| Location | Content |
|---|---|
| Down | Rabbit Wire |
| Down | Mineral drainage layer (optional) |
| About 1/3 of bed height | Coarse plant material such as branches and roots |
| About 1/3 of bed height | Plantura organic compost or mature compost |
| At least 30 cm | Nutrient-rich vegetable soil, such as our Plantura organic tomato & vegetable soil |
Tip: Herb raised beds for Mediterranean herbs can alternatively be finished with a top layer of nutrient-reduced herb soil, such as our Plantura organic herb and seed soil. This supports the formation of aromatic essential oils. However, many herbs also love nutrient-rich soil, such as basil, chives and parsley.
Tip 4: Snail Scare and Mice Minimization
Not only plants feel good in the raised bed. Unwanted pests also find shelter here. But don't worry: If you take a few precautionary measures, you won't have to worry about uninvited guests later. A close-meshed wire between the ground and the raised bed protects against soil animals such as voles or moles. Snails in raised beds, which feel particularly at home in salad beds, can also be avoided from the outset. A surrounding snail protection edge prevents the small wolverines from finding their way to the plant and thus ensures a snail-free bed.
Tip 5: Built-in Heater
What many gardeners don't even know: Raised beds are not only particularly easy on the back, they also develop their own heat. The rotting processes of the various layers inside release energy and this warms the bed like its own heating system. Therefore, many plants can be cultivated earlier in the raised bed than in a normal bed. Nevertheless, you should protect young plants in spring with a garden fleece overnight. In this way, the warmth of the raised bed is accumulated and late cold spells no longer have a chance.
Tip 6: Water on!
It is also amazing that plants in raised beds need more water than in normal beds. The explanation is quite logical: in the raised bed, the heat is significantly higher due to the rotting processes and the lack of integration into the cool soil. That's why a lot more water evaporates than in a normal bed. Therefore, the plants need replenishment much more often. But even too much of a good thing is not optimal for the plants, because even with optimal stratification, too much water can lead to waterlogging. It is better to check regularly whether the bed still has enough moisture.
Tip: It is particularly clever to introduce drip irrigation under the top layer while the raised bed is being layered. This helps to save water because the water goes directly to the roots of the plants and does not evaporate from the surface.
Tip 7: Raised or cold frame?
A simple but ingenious trick: If you have a bit of manual skills, you can easily turn your raised bed into a cold frame. An attachment made of plexiglass or foil not only protects the plants from wind and weather, but also collects the heat so that the young plants are nice and cozy. If you are not very good with a hammer and nail, you can simply use a foil tunnel or special attachments that are offered by various raised bed manufacturers. But make sure that not too much humidity collects under the roofs. Otherwise, fungal diseases are encouraged. When the temperatures are finally warm enough, you can simply remove these attachments and stow them away. So you have a raised frame and a cold frame in one.
Tip 8: The right plants
Which plants fit in a raised bed? A classic raised bed contains a particularly large number of nutrients, which is why heavy consumers such as cabbage, lettuce or leeks are particularly suitable, but tomatoes, zucchini and strawberries also feel good. Weak consumers, such as Mediterranean herbs, on the other hand, should only move into the raised bed a few years after it has been created or should be planted directly in a nutrient-poor herb spiral. We have summarized a planting plan for the raised bed with tips for mixed cultivation and suitable crop rotations in the raised bed to prevent pest infestation in detailed special articles.
Tip 9: Reclassify as you age
Further rotting processes occur in raised beds as they age. In the first year, the soil can sag up to 20 cm. However, this can easily be refilled with normal potting soil, such as our Plantura Organic Tomato & Vegetable Soil. However, this layer effect is completely used up after five to seven years and it is time for something new. The contents of the bed should then be removed completely. At the same time, you can check the condition of the attached foils and protective grilles. After that, a new layer system is simply built up - and you can enjoy your raised bed in peace for the next five to seven years.
Tip 10: Winter Protection
During the winter months, i.e. from December to January, no more plants should be grown in the raised bed. Due to its exposed location and lack of integration into the insulating soil, the bed cools down much faster than normal garden beds. At most perennial hardy plants such as herbs and perennials or winter vegetables such as kale are suitable for this. Furthermore, the bed should be covered with foil or a tarpaulin: This prevents rain and snow from washing the important nutrients out of the soil.
Tip: It is worth using the time during the winter months to introduce new nutrients into the upper planting layer with horn shavings or similar. Incidentally, green manure also protects the nutrients from being washed out in raised beds and can be incorporated in spring to improve the soil.
If you feel like doing it yourselfour article “Building a raised bed” with video instructions might be of interest to you.
See our Pinterest page for more “raised bed” inspiration: